The North Dundas Rockets welcomed the Metcalfe Jets to the Joel Steele Community Centre in Winchester on Sat., Sept. 7, for their first preseason game of the NCJHL. The Rockets’ forward, Joel Hunt gets in front of the Jets’s goalie, Josh Legault during the second period. The former Casselman Viking scored a pair of goals and an assist in the Rockets’ 12-4 victory. Moore photo

WINCHESTER—The North Dundas Rockets had two preseason games booked over the weekend as they welcomed the Metcalfe Jets on Saturday night and were supposed to be visitors to the Jets on Sunday afternoon but the Jets could not get enough players out so the game was cancelled.

Rockets 12 Jets 4

The North Dundas Rockets welcomed the Metcalfe Jets to the Joel Steele Community Centre in Winchester on Sat., Sept. 7, for their first preseason game of the NCJHL. The Rockets were expecting the Jets to show up with a full team but they only had eight skaters and three goalies so the Rockets lent them three players, Owen Richardson, Kobe Young and Ivan Schellberg. 

The Rockets opened the scoring when Brett Lannin snuck in off the point and pounded one home from Cam Sherrer and Lucas Clark at 16:26 of the first period taking a 1-0 lead. The Jets tied the game when Mark Morrison scored from Schellberg at 17:45. 

The Rockets retook the lead when Brad Nash snapped one to the back of the net from Jarrett Williams and Joel Hunt with just 1:54 remaining in period one. With the clock winding down in the first at 34 seconds remaining, the Rockets scored again from Cameron Brown with an assist from Nash and Williams. The Rockets took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. 

The Rockets made it 4-1 when Pierce Egan scored off an end-to-end rush unassisted at 2:11 of the second period. The Rockets took a four-goal lead when Will Watson sniped one from Brown on the power play at 7:24. 

The Jets got one back just 10 seconds later when Schellbreg scored an unassisted goal to make it 5-2. The Rockets added to their lead when Logan McLean banged home a rebound from Jack Van Kessel at 11:42. 

The Jets reduced the gap when Rocco Beressi scored from Morrison and Alex MacNeil at 13:02. The Rockets made it a 7-3 game as Van Kessel slid one home from Lannin at the 17-minute mark and at 17:21, Williams sniped one from Nash to give the Rockets a five-goal cushion. The Rockets took a 8-3 lead into the second intermission. 

The Rockets made it 9-3 when Clark banged one to the back of the net from Watson and Sherrer at 5:39 of the third period. The Rockets increased their lead to seven when Hunt swatted one home after picking up his own rebound at 7:47 unassisted and added another goal at 10:30, as Clark scored his second of the game from Lannin on the power play to make it 11-3. 

Hunt scored his second of the game from Brown and Lannin at 14:37 to make it a 9-goal lead. The Jets closed out the scoring when MacNeil scored an unassisted goal with just six seconds remaining in the game but it was all Rockets taking their first game of the preseason 12-4. 

The Rockets outshot the Jets 54-26. Picking up the win in the Rockets’ goal were Josh Lacelle and Nathan Noel and suffering the loss in the Jets’ goal were Dominik Turcotte, Jeff Miller and Josh Legault.

Up next

The North Dundas Rockets travel to the Bernard Grandmaître Arena in Ottawa on Fri., Sept. 13, to take on the Bytown Royals at 8:15 p.m. and welcome the Royals to the Joel Steele Community Centre in Winchester on Sun., Sept. 15 at 7:45 p.m.